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Friday, November 29, 2013

Monthly Favorites: November 2013

Hey, friends! How was your Thanksgiving? Today I'd like to show you the products I loved this month (in a way, I guess you could say they're a few of the superficial things I'm thankful for--though family is the most important). On to the fun part!

This was inlast month's favorites as well. Technically, it's more of a tinted moisturizer than a BB cream, so comparing this to legitimate BB creams is like comparing apples to oranges. However, I love the light coverage (they're honest about it being a sheer tint) and how moisturizing it is. This evens out my skin tone while still looking natural, and gives me a nice, dewy glow. It really keeps my skin hydrated in the harsh New England winds, and I would repurchase it. If you're looking for more coverage or perhaps have oily skin, you might want to skip it, but if you're a dry-skinned girl looking for something light in place of foundation, I highly recommend this!

This was in my Back to School Essentials post. Last month I talked about how I loved the pink side, but wasn't totally sure what I wanted to do with the brown side. Well, I discovered that this duo makes for a quick and easy eye makeup routine! I like to do the pink side all over the lid, with a little bit of brown in the outer crease (blending inward with my finger), then also run it along my upper lash line for some quick and easy eyeliner. Of course, I smudge the "eyeliner" a bit with my finger as well, because with an stick that big, it's hard to have too much precision (ignore the sexual innuendo, just IGNORE IT).

After receiving a NYX blush that was too dark for my fair complexion in my Ipsy June bag, I traded with a lovely woman on the Subscriptions Anonymous Facebook group for this one instead. I like NYX as a brand in general, but now I can add that I love their cream blushes to the list. This blush is very pigmented and requires some work on my part to get it looking blended and natural enough, I love the formulation and fresh glow it gives my skin! I think this particular color would suit medium or dark skin tones best, but either way the formulation is very smooth. I think I will look into getting some of the lighter colors from NYX in the future (as this is very dark and very bright). I highly recommend checking their cream blushes out!

Bare Escentuals Lip Guard SPF 15 (? for .5oz)

This was one of my first-ever lip glosses that my mother bought me when I first became interested in makeup. It's moisturizing, pigmented, and very smooth-no stickiness here! This has been my go-to lip product, as the color is very "fall," without being too much for everyday. I'm sorry to say that this product has been discontinued, but you can still find these lip glosses on Ebay and Amazon (just order with caution, as fakes are always a problem on sites like those). Bare Escentuals also makes a bunch of other wonderful lip glosses, though!

In this month's Empties post, I talked about deciding between purchasing generic brush heads of sites like Amazon for $15 or less, or going the genuine route and buying each Clarisonic brush head for $25 a pop. After trying the generic ones, then switching back the tried-and-true Clarisonic brush heads, I think I'm going to stick with the real ones. I described it in the Empties post as replacing the batteries in your electric toothbrush--you didn't realize it wasn't running at full power until you switched them out for fresh ones. The brush sits better in the Clarisonic, it spins faster, the brush isn't as rough or harsh. I figured if I have a nearly $150 beauty tool/investment for my face, I should utilize it to its full ability. The mystery is over; only genuine Clarisonic brush heads from here on out!

I LOVE this day cream! I received this from an HSN sweepstakes, as stated in July's Mail Time post. At first, I was pretty skeptical about it (as a twenty-something, anti-aging doesn't really attract me too much). The glass jar feels very luxe, sure, but I wasn't in love until I applied it to my face. It has a similar feel to the Serious Skin Care Emu & Aloe Cream I just finished up this month, in which it's very light but creamy. I find that this is very moisturizing, but I feel like I'm using this up so quickly! My skin drinks this in wonderfully, and it doesn't leave my skin looking greasy. This doesn't contain an SPF, so I wear a chemical sunscreen under it, but I don't even care that I had to add an extra step to my routine because it's that lovely. I might actually vomit at the thought of spending $60 on a moisturizer right now, especially since it looks like I've used up almost half the jar and it's only been a month. Although it's thin in consistency (I consider it a lotion rather than a cream), I find it incredibly hydrating. I think the anti-aging qualities are what hike up the price, so if I can find a hydrating moisturizer without all of the added claims, that would be great.

Artist of the Month: Julia Sheer

Julia Sheer has definitely been my most-played artist this month on Spotify. If I had to pick a favorite song, it would probably by "Mirrors," but really, I just love all of her songs (both covers, such as "Mirrors," and original music, one of my favorites being "You Will Never Be"). She was also featured in Alex Goot's cover of "Wanted," which was a March favorite (my very first Favorites post!).

Alright, that's the lot of it. I hope it was helpful for you. Best of luck with the Black Friday shopping today! Have fun getting things at awesomely-reduced prices!

What were your favorite products this month? Did you buy anything fun today? Get any good deals? Let me know in the comments below!